Cryptical
by Tragic Endings
Summary: He has managed to keep her hidden for 16 years, but when the MDPD is hacked into, she might just be the key to solving this crime and the key to help him let go and let him love again. AU


Plot: His daughter was the only person who can get them out of this mess. finding the hacker is the easy part. Revealing her to the team and having to face his past not so much. (A/U) E/C

Disclaimer: I don't so much as even own one one hundredth of this show... Disappointing I know.

all mistakes are mine

* * *

"Dad! Hurry up! I'm gonna be late for school" she yelled while she munched on an apple, as she leaned against the kitchen bench, waiting for her dad to take her to school.  
"Have you seen my keys?" Eric asked grabbing his jacket.  
"Here" she replied holding them up in her hand, before throwing them in his direction.  
"What would I do without you Soph?" He smiled kissing the top of her head before ushering her out of the house.

Eric sighed. It wasn't easy, with no one at his work knowing about Sophia and looking into her eyes and seeing the woman he loved, who was taken away from him so suddenly and having to far the guilt of that night, the guilt that he couldn't do anything. All he could do was watch. Watch and hope she was going to be ok. Hoping that she would return to him, return to him and to her, to see the sunrise aga-  
"Dad?"

Eric jerked a little, feeling his eyes welled up with tears.

"You were thinking about her again weren't you. About mum."

"Soph-" he started but was interrupted by his phone.

"Delko," he answered, as he pulled up at the school. He nodded his goodbye, smiling at his daughter. Before speeding off to the location Horatio had given him.

"Hey Soph!" Sophia spun around, a smile splitting across her face, when she saw who it was.  
"Josh! Hey! How was your weekend?" She smiled at him giving him a friendly punch in the arm, as they walked into the school towards their lockers.  
"Oh you know, studied. read. played chess. You?"  
"Don't tell anyone, but I think I just found a way to get around the school's security system," she smirked cheekily.  
"Sophie, you cannot be serious! Don't you remember what happened last time?"  
"Yeah well last time I was just warming up," she smirked, "I spent my whole weekend trying it out. And I think I found a way."  
"How?"  
"Guess you'll have to wait to find out," she grinned grabbing her books before closing her locker and making her way to class, Josh right behind her.

"Sorry H, got caught up in traffic" Eric apologised, approaching Horatio, who was standing in the tech room, staring at the screen as their tech guy, furiously typed away, his eyes moving at a a mile per second.

"What happened here?"  
"Someone has managed to get into our database, and is copying everything they can get their hands on." Benton replied.  
"How soon can you shut down our system Mr Benton?" Horatio asked,  
"I'm not so sure they are in pretty deep at the moment, it's going to take a while"

"Umm... I might know someone who could help," Eric suggested, closing his eyes wishing he hadn't opened his mouth.

"If you trust them enough Eric. We could use the help though."  
-

Sophia sighed, completely zoned out of her class. She was not in the mood to be studying Literature Class. What she needed to do was to get back to her laptop, try to get back to hacking her way into the MDPD database.  
She needed to know more about her mum, and why her dad refused to tell her more than just 'it was a tragic accident'.

"Could you identify one theme for us please... Miss Delko," her teacher asked her.

"Fantasy vs. Reality." She replied with ease, not taking her eyes off her notepad.

"Care to elaborate to the class?"

"The main character, Blanche, has built up this fantasy world which she can escape to and forget about her darkened past. But is shattered when her brother in law, digs up her past and sends her to a psychiatric hospital." Her eyes still focused on her notepad.

"Please tell me you actually had the brains to take down some of those notes in class and at least pretended you were listening" Josh asked coming up to Sophia after class.  
"Yeah! Of course I did, I do actually care about my grades Josh,"  
"Really?"  
"No... But I mean come on! Who wants to go through a play that teaches you nothing about how to actually survive your life, it just tells you what people go through when they suffer PTSD..."  
Josh was just about to reply when they were approached by one of their teachers, "Josh, Sophia. There's someone at the front office waiting for you."

Sophia and Josh looked at each other and shrugged. Who ever it was, they must be desperate to want to see them.  
-

Eric was never really patient. Which was why he was currently pacing about in a room where he would be called into at least twice a term because his daughter just didn't want to learn and only really cared about whether something had security around it or no security at all.

When the door leading to the school open, he saw his daughter and her best friend Josh walk through, he took a deep breath knowing what he was about to do was going to end up in either a huge argument or hopefully, Soph just nodding and following him. Taking him for his word.

Out of the people, Sophia knew, she didn't expect her dad to be the one to pull her out of school, he was usually the one trying to get her to stay at school.

"Dad?"  
"Mr. D?"  
"What are you doing here?" They asked together

"Hey, sorry to have to take you out of class but we could seriously use your help and brains right about now." He said, bracing himself for the load of questions about to come bubbling out of his daughters and her best friends mouth.

"Ok, must be some serious issue to want the both of us," Sophia replied, signing her name and Josh's name out. Before making their way out towards her dad's car.

Eric sighed. Oh boy... If only he had his daughters brains and talent, he wouldn't have to do this... "Yeah, it's pretty big. You better have your computer skills in handy right now. You're going to be facing a major puzzle soon."

And he reversed out of his parking spot.

* * *

i've always wondered what it would be like if Eric had a daughter...

Having to explain the whole situation to someone you are in love with...

Hope you enjoyed it

reviews and suggestions would make my day :)

Tragic Ending


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